Mr. Tarsky started earlier this month as interim principal of Mashpee Middle High School. He will be the interim principal for the remainder of this school year, taking over from Mr. Balestracci and then Mrs. DeBoer and Dr. Hanscom.
The Falconer sat down with Mr. Tarsky to ask about his background, his goals for the school, and whether he wants to become our next full principal. Did you know that he worked on a fishing boat in Alaska, served in the military, and attended Yale University?
Interview by Addison Wood
The Falconer: What made you decide to become an educator?
Mr. Tarsky: I’ve always thought that education is the most important thing in life, up there with family. It is the wellspring from which every career spawns. Whether you become a doctor, lawyer, a mechanic, your education is what links you career wise. So I think it's super important that schools do their jobs well. I can’t think of a more important line of work than education. That understanding of the grand purpose of education is what drove me to be a part of it. I’ve always enjoyed public service, whether it be teaching or being an administrator, and I think it’s of the highest calling.”
The Falconer: What is the greatest challenge you faced on your way to becoming an educator and how did you overcome it?
Mr. Tarsky: It can be difficult to get a job. I was a career changer, I was in the military. The transition from being a soldier to starting a new career path was difficult for a variety of reasons. Troops to Teachers, a program that transitioned soldiers to the education sector was helpful. When I got off of active duty in the army, the Troops to Teacher program helped me find a job at Lawrence High School where I taught ELA and ESL. It was a challenging switch though, the pay wasn’t always great, and as any first year teacher would tell you, teaching is a very demanding job. It can be difficult to get your bearings in those first few years.
The Falconer sat down with Mr. Tarsky to ask about his background, his goals for the school, and whether he wants to become our next full principal. Did you know that he worked on a fishing boat in Alaska, served in the military, and attended Yale University?
Interview by Addison Wood
The Falconer: What made you decide to become an educator?
Mr. Tarsky: I’ve always thought that education is the most important thing in life, up there with family. It is the wellspring from which every career spawns. Whether you become a doctor, lawyer, a mechanic, your education is what links you career wise. So I think it's super important that schools do their jobs well. I can’t think of a more important line of work than education. That understanding of the grand purpose of education is what drove me to be a part of it. I’ve always enjoyed public service, whether it be teaching or being an administrator, and I think it’s of the highest calling.”
The Falconer: What is the greatest challenge you faced on your way to becoming an educator and how did you overcome it?
Mr. Tarsky: It can be difficult to get a job. I was a career changer, I was in the military. The transition from being a soldier to starting a new career path was difficult for a variety of reasons. Troops to Teachers, a program that transitioned soldiers to the education sector was helpful. When I got off of active duty in the army, the Troops to Teacher program helped me find a job at Lawrence High School where I taught ELA and ESL. It was a challenging switch though, the pay wasn’t always great, and as any first year teacher would tell you, teaching is a very demanding job. It can be difficult to get your bearings in those first few years.
The Falconer: What is your educational background?
Mr. Tarsky: I have a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University, which I got in 2004. A masters degree in international education policy from Harvard University. As well as a juris doctorate, or a law degree from Suffolk University, which I went to at night. Which the GI bill helped pay for some of.
The Falconer: What impact did school have on your life?
Mr. Tarsky: Besides placing a high value on it in general, I’ve made a career of it, so the impact has been big. Overall school, both as a learner and as an educator, has made me a more decent man, father, husband, friend, and worker. Education has given me a sense of purpose, it has taught me how to navigate life as well as a sense of ethics and morals so I can feel good about the choices I make. I would say it’s been super important.
The Falconer: I saw in my research that you spent time in the military, how did those experiences affect your views?
Mr. Tarsky: It’s been pretty profound. I was meeting my dean at Yale for the first time September 11, 2001. I actually watched on his TV, the towers falling. This was a huge deal for my generation. This made it clear at the time that this was real and we, as a country, were under attack. It was a surreal moment to realize that there was a war starting. At first, I toyed with the idea of dropping out of school, but I knew that Yale was such a great opportunity, so I stuck with it and got my degree, placing my enlistment on a temporary hold.
At the time, the secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld, was approaching the war effort in a novel way, with increased participation of the spec ops community. Accordingly, the Army had a unique program called the 18X-Ray program, which was a way for civilians with no military experience to become Green Berets, or special forces soldiers. After I enlisted I deployed twice to Afghanistan, and once to Honduras. When I left active duty, I joined the National Guard because I wanted to continue to serve in a military capacity both because of the people and because it seemed like there were a lot of cool opportunities to pursue. In short, I think the military, both the active and reserve components, have a very important mission that does wonderful things. Currently, I am an attorney with the Massachusetts National Guard, using my law degree as a judge advocate. Now I’m coming up on my 18th year of service in total. I’ve accepted the fact that the military is something I’ll never let go of; it’s become such a big part of who I am. It shaped me in many ways, it taught me about teamwork, leadership, plus it's good to stand for causes that are bigger than yourself. I consider the military something that I am extremely proud to be part of.
The Falconer: I also read that you used to be a fisherman in Alaska, what inspired you to do that?
A: Yes, there were many things. When I got out of high school I went straight to college before I was ready. I was probably a C student in high school, and didn’t take education as seriously as I could’ve. I was kind of immature. I ended up going to Ohio University, but I wasn’t ready for it. I had a best friend who commited suicide, which changed my life in a lot of significant ways. I ended up dropping out of Ohio University and heading out west for about a year trying to figure things out because I wasn’t in a good spot in life. I found an opportunity during this experience, there was an advertisement in The Guardian, a local newspaper, that said something along the lines of ‘no experience, no education required, come work as an Alaskan Fisherman for great pay and long hours.’
And in an instant I had direction. I signed up, flew to Anchorage, Alaska, did a couple seasons there and made great money. This money gave me the opportunity to travel the world with my brother for a few years, like to Asia, India, Australia, certain parts of Africa and Europe. We worked our way around the globe with some of my money, working odd jobs as fruit pickers and art salesmen, to replenish our funds when necessary. The Alaskan fishing boats were great because of the money it supplied for travel and the work itself. When I got on board it was wonderful and new. Spending time trawling fish on the bottom of the Bering Sea, our little crew on the vast ocean, was just humbling and awesome. Truly a wonderful experience. Great for students who are maybe not ready for college or those that want a gap year and are looking to make good money and work hard. And for those looking for a sense of adventure.
The Falconer: Would you say that changed your life path?
Mr. Tarsky: The fishing boats? They gave me the means to travel and see the world. Those experiences build on each other. Working there gave me experience traveling and seeing some remote places in the world. It also taught me not to fear intense work. It was rewarding in itself but helped instill the values of hard work, which led me to being able to succeed at Yale, and eventually in the military. Plus, it helped cement the belief in the value of adventure and new experiences.
The Falconer: What are a few things you took away from your different career or life experiences?
Mr. Tarsky: A firm belief in the value of public service. As I told the Tillman Foundation years ago, the value of a person’s life is tied to the causes for which they fight. There’s only so much time and energy to expend in life. It’s important to reflect and take the decisions you make seriously. And after you see something that is cool or curious go for it wholeheartedly, assessing along the way whether what you currently pursue is still worthy of pursuit. Flexibility and reflection and the intention to do good work are really important.
The Falconer: What do you feel your biggest accomplishment is?
Mr. Tarsky: It’s pretty cool being a dad. That’s pretty awesome… I think that would probably be it. I don’t know if there’s anything higher than that. Being a father who can take care of the family and kids; that shouldn’t be underestimated.
The Falconer: How will your experience as Vice Principal at Sandwich affect how you lead MMHS? In other words, what did you learn at Sandwich that will help you in Mashpee?
Mr. Tarsky: It taught me the structure of schools, and how schools do business. It gave me a lot of experience as to how schools function from an administrative point of view as well as for the community, students, and faculty perspective. My time there gave me an in-depth introduction to how to be a school leader. It showed me how the job is and what I think it can look like. I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for my years as Assistant Principal at Sandwich.
The Falconer: How long did you work at Sandwich?
Mr. Tarsky: I was the AP from 2016 until I came here. It was about 5 and a half years.
The Falconer: What are your top goals and priorities for this school?
Mr. Tarsky: Currently I’m trying to get to know the school. I need to figure out how you guys do business here. I need to get all the opinions of the facility, and see what everyone thinks needs to get worked on. Generally, trying to get information and insert myself into the culture so I can make some positive changes.
The Falconer: Even though you are acting as interim principal, is there a possibility that you will stay at Mashpee?
Mr. Tarsky: I hope so, that would be my goal, yes.
The Falconer: What is one thing you want students to know about you? And why?
Mr. Tarsky: That I’m a big team player, and that I’m on their team. My job is to support them whatever their dreams and goals are, even if they’re a little messy. I’m here to help the students and facilitate resources to make good things happen. I want people to know that I’m here to help them learn and grow.